HANDEL’S MESSIAH | March 30, 2023 | 7:30 PM
ORLANDO SINGS SYMPHONIC CHORUS
ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Steinmetz Hall, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
The Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus returns to the exquisite Steinmetz Hall for what is called “the greatest single work in the English language” and the most popular choral-orchestral work of all time. Messiah received its first performance in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742, and has been performed around the world nearly every year since. Orlando Sings is excited to present this legendary work famous for the “Hallelujah Chorus!”
ANDREW MINEAR, conductor
With appearances across the United States, Dr. Andrew Minear is an active conductor, music educator, and choir leader. Dr. Minear is the founding Artistic and Executive Director of Orlando Sings where he conducts the Orlando Sings Symphonic Chorus and the professional vocal ensemble Solaria. He also serves as Interim Director of Music Ministry at All Saints Episcopal Church of Winter Park. Recent or upcoming engagements include Opera Orlando’s production of All is Calm, the National Concert Chorus at Carnegie Hall,… Read more…
ANNA ESCHBACH, soprano
Soprano, Anna Eschbach, is an active performer and private voice instructor in the Central Florida area. She earned her bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Tennessee. Born and raised in Orlando, Ms. Eschbach has performed with numerous ensembles and orchestras throughout Florida, including Opera Orlando, the Orlando Philharmonic, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, and the Villages Philharmonic. She was a studio artist with Opera Orlando during the 2019-2020 season,… Read more…
LOGAN TANNER, countertenor
Praised for his “striking musicality, clarity, and strong coloratura” (Opera Canada), countertenor Logan Tanner has performed on operatic stages throughout the United States and abroad. He recently performed the role of Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, and “commanded the role of Oberon charmingly” (Opera Canada) in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Halifax Opera Festival. Read more…
ERIC RIEGER, tenor
American tenor Eric Rieger has enjoyed success performing opera throughout Europe where he has sung under such conductors as John Elliot Gardner, Stefano Ranzani, and Franz Welser-Möst. His career has led him to the opera companies of Zürich, Luzern, Basel, Trier, Regensburg, Kaiserslautern, Bremerhaven, Osnabrück, Nordhausen, Konstanz, Novara, Treviso, as well as Zomeropera Alden Biesen in Belgium, Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Citizens Theatre in Scotland, and Everyman Palace Theatre in Ireland. Read more…
KYLE WHITE, baritone
Praised for his “commanding, polished” singing, American Baritone Kyle White has found success performing roles from the standard repertoire as well as modern repertoire. For the 2022/2023 season, Mr. White performs the role of Nardo in La finta giardiniera with The Hungarian State Opera, Nardo in La finta giardiniera and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviliga with Opera NEO, and Schaunard in La bohème with Kentucky Opera. Mr. White also joins Virginia Opera to perform the role of Samuel and cover The Modern Major General in The Pirates of Penzance, perform the role of Tommy McIntyre and cover Hawkins Fuller in Fellow Travelers, and cover (with one sung performance) Giorgio Germont in La Traviata. A winner of the Iowa district of the 2023 Laffont Competition, the summer of 2023 sees Mr. White as a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap opera making his role debut as Valentin in Faust. Read more…
THE INSTRUMENTS
HARPSICHORD
A beautiful ancestor of the modern piano, the harpsichord was a popular instrument during the Baroque era (17th and 18th centuries) and was used primarily as a solo instrument and as an accompaniment for other instruments and vocalists.
The harpsichord has a distinct sound that is characterized by its sharp attack and quick decay. Unlike a piano, which uses hammers to strike the strings, the harpsichord plucks the strings with a plectrum, which creates a more percussive and less sustained sound. Harpsichords typically have two or more sets of strings, and each set can be engaged or disengaged to change the tone or volume of the instrument.
The 7-foot instrument we will play for Messiah was handcrafted in 1983 by Richard Kingston, a well-known maker in Marshall, North Carolina. It features ebony keys and bone-topped flats and sharps.
Latin inscriptions on the lid proclaim Laudabo nomen Dei cum cantico (“I will praise the name of God with a song”) and Musica donum Dei (“Music is a gift of God”). The soundboard, decorated in the Flemish style, dances with rabbits, roses, and morning glories, a butterfly and a peacock, orange blossoms and lady bugs, and tiny strawberries and cherries.
CONTINUO ORGAN
A positive organ, also known as a continuo organ, is a type of pipe organ that is relatively small and portable, and is designed to provide accompaniment for other instruments or vocalists. The positive organ was developed in the Baroque era (17th and 18th centuries) and was used primarily in chamber music settings, such as in small churches, private homes, and aristocratic residences.
Positive organs are typically built with a single manual (keyboard) and a small number of stops (groups of pipes, each with their own register), which allows the organist to create a range of sounds and colors suitable for accompanying other instruments or voices. The sound of a positive organ is typically brighter and more compact than that of a larger pipe organ, and its design allows it to be easily moved and set up in different locations.
One unique feature of positive organs is that they are often played standing up and without the use of pedals. Instead, the organist uses their left hand to play bass notes and their right hand to play the melody and harmonies on the keyboard.
The instrument we will be using was custom built in 1997 by Harrison & Harrison, a top organ maker/restorer in Durham, England. The pipes are enclosed in a wooden case with beautiful carvings on the front.
THE INSTRUMENTALISTS
LEDEAN WILLIAMS
Keyboardist (Harpsichord and Organ)
Ledean began piano study at the age of 7, quickly discovering a love for both piano and choral music, which developed into a lifelong vocation as a collaborative pianist. She attended Florida State University, earning a Bachelor of Music Education degree with choral and general emphasis, studying piano under John Salmon and James Streem. She earned a Masters degree in Piano Pedagogy from Louisiana State University, where she studied with Kathleen Rountree and Constance Carroll… Read more…
ORLANDO PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Celebrating its 30th Season, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra is led by Music Director Eric Jacobsen and is comprised of creative musicians and artists from around the world. The Philharmonic annually presents the 11-concert Classics Series and Pops Series in Steinmetz Hall as well as its Focus Series and Symphony Storytime Series at The Plaza Live, a historic Central Florida venue. The Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra’s vision is to enrich, inspire, and serve the Central Florida community through the transformative power of live music, and it presents more than 170 live concerts and impacts more than 70,000 children, youth, and families annually through its Young People’s Concerts, Symphony Storytime Series, Notes in Your Neighborhood program, and free outdoor community concerts. A resident company of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, the Philharmonic is proud to perform in the new Steinmetz Hall, one of the finest venues for acoustic music in the country. The Orlando Philharmonic is a Partner Organization of the National Alliance for Audition Support, an initiative to increase diversity in American Orchestras. Learn more at orlandophil.org.
